1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to seawalls. More particularly, it relates to a modular seawall construction that is relatively light-in-weight and easy to install in a relatively short amount of time as compared to conventional modular seawall constructions.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A seawall can be built as a monolithic unit, pouring concrete into a form that runs the extent of the property to be protected. This requires a concrete truck to deliver concrete to the site. This well-known method is labor intensive, time-consuming, and expensive.
Accordingly, inventors have developed modular seawalls that are manufactured off-site and delivered to the property to be protected. This eliminates the need to pour concrete at the site, is less labor intensive, reduces the cost of seawall construction, and provides consistently cured concrete to ensure maximum PSI.
A typical modular seawall is built of concrete modules, each of which is about four feet (4′) in height and about six feet (6′) in length. A common construction includes a ground-supported rectangular base, an upstanding rectangular sea-retaining wall that is positioned along one of the long edges of the base in perpendicular relation thereto, and an upstanding brace wall positioned along each of the short edges of the base at opposite ends of the sea-retaining wall. Each brace wall may also be rectangular in configuration. However, a brace wall in the configuration of a right triangle having a height equal to the height of the sea-retaining wall and a base equal to the depth of the rectangular base, i.e., equal in length to the length of a short side of the rectangular base, is functional and saves concrete. In either configuration, the area between the brace walls and behind the upstanding seawall is filled with earth or other suitable fill materials to maintain the sea-retaining wall in its upright configuration.
These well-known modular units are very heavy and require a truck-mounted crane at the assembly site.
A need exists, therefore, for a modular seawall that is light enough to be lifted by lighter and less expensive machinery than a truck-mounted crane.
Conventional seawall modules also lack an interlock means; they are merely positioned in end-to-end abutting relation to one another. This allows water and earth to gradually leak between abutting brace walls and weaken the structure.
Thus there is a need for a modular seawall construction that interlocks abutting seawall modules in end-to-end relation to one another and which prevents seepage of earth and water between contiguous modules.
A typical seawall installation includes a concrete sidewalk that overlies the horizontal top wall of the seawall. Pouring such a sidewalk is problematic because it is very difficult and time-consuming to attach an outermost vertical form for the concrete sidewalk to the water side of the seawall. It typically takes a crew of four workers to install that particular form. A level line must first be made on the module or modules a few inches below the top wall of the module or modules so that the workers can hold the horizontally disposed elongate form in a level plane while orienting the form in a vertical plane so that its bottom edge is in registration with the level line, thereby assuring that the top edge of the form will also be substantially level. Two workers are stationed on the water side, and sometimes in the water, at opposite ends of the horizontal, elongate form to hold the form in said vertical orientation in said level plane. Two other workers then attach the form to the seawall. More particularly, the lower few inches of the vertically oriented elongate form is secured to the seawall so that the upper few inches of the form extends above the top edge of the seawall by a distance that determines the thickness of the sidewalk.
Thus there is a need for a seawall module that facilitates the attachment of a concrete sidewalk form to a seawall. More particularly, there is a need for a seawall module that enables the attachment of a sidewalk form thereto by a single worker.
For a typical waterfront property having about sixty feet (60′) of shoreline to protect, it takes about four (4) weeks to install a conventional modular seawall.
Thus there is a need for a modular seawall construction that substantially reduces the amount of time required to install the seawall.
However, in view of the art considered as a whole at the time the present invention was made, it was not obvious to those of ordinary skill in this art how the identified needs could be met.